The death toll from the Hawaii wildfires reached 93 on Saturday, making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century - and the total is likely to rise in coming days as search teams continue sifting through the ruins.

The scale of the damage came into sharper focus, four days after a fast-moving blaze leveled the historic resort town, obliterating buildings and melting cars.

The cost to rebuild Lahaina was estimated at $5.5 billion, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with more than 2,200 structures damaged or destroyed and more than 850 hectares burned.

Hawaii Governor Josh Green warned at a press conference on Saturday afternoon that the death toll would continue to increase as more victims were discovered.

Maui County reported that firefighters are continuing their efforts to extinguish flare-ups and contain fires in Lahaina, Pulehu/Kihei, and Upcountry Maui.

On Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Hawaii in response to the devastating hurricane-driven wildfires.

The death toll from the inferno, which ignited on Tuesday, has made it Hawaii's worst natural disaster, surpassing a tsunami that claimed 61 lives in 1960, just a year after Hawaii became a U.S. state.

The current death toll exceeds the 85 individuals who perished in a 2018 fire in the town of Paradise, California. It also represents the highest death toll from a wildfire since 1918, when the Cloquet fire in Minnesota and Wisconsin resulted in 453 fatalities.

Anger as residents say 'no warning'

Anger was growing Saturday over the official response to the horrific inferno. Hawaiian authorities have begun a probe into the handling of the fire, with residents saying there had been no warning.

"The mountain behind us caught on fire and nobody told us jack," said Vilma Reed. "You know when we found out there was a fire? When it was across the street from us."

Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez said her office would examine "critical decision-making and standing policies leading up to, during, and after the wildfires on Maui and Hawaii islands this week."

Maui suffered numerous power outages during the crisis, preventing many residents from receiving emergency alerts on their cell phones - something Hawaii congresswoman Jill Tokuda said officials should have prepared for.

"We have got to make sure that we do better," Tokuda added.

The fires follow other extreme weather events in North America this summer, with record-breaking wildfires still burning across Canada and a major heat wave baking the U.S. southwest.

Europe and parts of Asia have also endured soaring temperatures, with major fires and floods wreaking havoc. Scientists say human-caused global warming is exacerbating natural hazards, making them more likely and more deadly.

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Unheeded warnings left Maui unprepared for disaster

(With input from agencies)